Thursday, June 30, 2016

Topic Of The Day: Academy Invites 683 New Members

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its incoming members. They have invited 683 new members. When you look at their list of invitees, you can see that they have really made good on their promise for more diversity.

They've invited a lot more women, people of color, and even people within the LGBTQ community like Xavier Dolan, Dee Rees, and the Wachowskis. Also, they invited more actors and filmmakers from around the world.

So I'm thrilled that AMPAS president Cheryl Boone-Isaacs has really made good on her promise to diversify the Academy’s membership. However, I feel that while the AMPAS has a responsibility to diversify their members, everyone else has a responsibility as well.

Of course, it is on the industry to make more films about women, POC, LGBTQ people, etc.. But audiences also have a responsibility to actually go out and watch what diverse stories are out there. For us to see more diversity, we have to actually go out and see it.

I feel like I've sounded like a broken record when talking about the topic of diversity. But it's because as someone who has a passion for movies, I care a lot about seeing more representation. Plus, we've had all-white acting nominees two years in a row and even though it's 2016, we still have Caucasians playing roles intended for people of color. So it's something that really needs to be discussed.

Anyways, I'm glad that the Academy is starting to make good on their promise for making themselves more diverse. Even if it won't fix the problem in the industry tomorrow, it is still a step in the right direction.